CASTLE ROCK — The Castle Rock Town Council Monday night agreed to let voters decide whether or not to repeal the town’s ban on open carry of firearms on town-owned buildings and parks after a successful petition referendum against council’s vote to repeal the ban in January.

The vote was 7-0, but most council members expressed displeasure with the fact the vote would cost the town $50,000. It must be set for late summer or early fall. Mayor Paul Donahue, who supported repealing the open carry ban, previously said he hoped the vote would be on the November ballot.

It was the overall desire of petitioners Jacob Vargish and Siegfried Guentensberger, who also spoke at the meeting, to let voters decide on the ban.

Guentensberger reiterated that while he agrees with Donahue on most things gun-related, he believes that the matter of open carry of firearms should not be up to a conflicted board.

“Fifty thousand dollars to give the residents of Castle Rock the ability to restore their constitutional rights is a cheap deal for me,” Donahue said.

Outgoing councilman Clark Hammelman agreed the vote should go to the people and said he voted no on the repeal because he felt there was too much uncertainty about what the voters of Castle Rock felt about open carry.

Councilwoman Jennifer Green was annoyed this had to go to the ballot.

“It’s bothersome to ask you if you would like your constitutional rights restored yes or no?” Green said.

Outgoing councilman Joe Procopio said banning open carry on town-owned buildings and parks will not make residents safer. He said that in response to comments made earlier by Castle Rock resident Tamara Carlin, who said there’s enough anger and tension among residents already and that more guns is only going to make it worse.

“Guns don’t belong in parks, they don’t belong in open spaces,” Carlin said.

There were also speakers who dismayed in the fact the protest against the petition, filed last week, was deemed invalid because there were no names on it.

Former Republican Colorado State Senator and Broomfield attorney Shawn Mitchell said he was representing the Castle Rock residents who filed the protest. He said they did not put their names down because they were intimidated by those who opposed their protest.

“They had been stalked, received ugly messages at home,” Mitchell said. “The real issue is whether there is a way to file this protest and protect their privacy and safety.”

Town clerk Sally Misare said the residents behind the protest would have to file a lawsuit to appeal her decision last week that the protest was invalid.

Marc MacYoung said he was bothered by the fact the petitioners were presenting the issue as if the council was going behind the back of the citizens when they first repealed the ban on open carry.

“We need to look at if this was a legitimately and honestly obtained petition,” MacYoung said.

Council members were nervous about spending $50,000 on an election on one ballot issue. They voted to put it on the agenda at their April 22 meeting and discuss other items to put on the special election ballot, conceivably so the town could get it’s money worth out of the election.

Town manager Mark Stevens said the council would have to present an ordinance on first reading on May 6, along with any other ballot measures, to set a date for the special election.

The owners of Boulder’s Sterling University Peaks apartments, who this summer were cited for illegally subdividing 92 bedrooms in the complex, have reached an agreement to settle the case for $410,000, the city announced Thursday.